The basic mechanics of propulsion over water have changed little in hundreds of years. Although engines employing outboards and impellers have been fashioned to expedite transit over water, many individuals still prefer to peacefully glide along the water under their own power with the classic oar or paddle. While manual propulsion over water can be relaxing and great exercise, there are limits to the speed that can be attained piloting a small craft such as a paddle board, canoe, kayak, or other similar small craft.
Paddle boards, boards in which the individual stands while riding and piloting the craft are among the slower forms of paddle-based water transit, as much wind resistance is generated by the individual standing on the board. Similarly, the user piloting the board only has room for one paddle, which the user must alternate use on each side of the paddle board in order to move in a straight line. Conventionally, this single paddle is equipped with a handle at one end, and a paddle-blade on the opposite end, which is contoured to maximize the efficacy of the paddle on both sides of the paddle board equally.
As such, the single paddle blade is not specially crafted and contoured to propel water in a single direction, but instead, is capable of being switched to the user's opposite hand, without rotating the paddle, in order to propel the paddle board. However, some higher end paddles are contoured for a single side of the craft, and are configured to be turned or to turn in the hand of the user in accordance with which direction the paddle is being pushed through the water. Given that the user must alternate hands between each few strokes of the paddle, it can be clearly seen that attempting to go fast on a paddle-board quickly becomes a tiring activity.
Thus, there is a need for a device that is equipped with a paddle-blade on each end of the paddling device. Similarly, there is a need for a device capable of converting a conventional paddle or oar into a double-tipped alternating paddle, configured to expedite the paddling process by providing effectively two paddles to the user, eliminating the need for the user to alternate hands with the paddle when used in a single-paddle craft.